It’s New Year’s resolution time. I have 2 NY resolutions that I’ve made for myself for 2010. The first is to run/walk at least 500 miles in my workouts this year (so far I’m not off to a strong start but hopefully putting it in writing will help motivate me). The second is to be more sustainable in our eating this year.
I started changing the food we eat and businesses we support over the past few years and have really enjoyed educating myself more since moving to Cleveland. We are very lucky that we have access to wonderful meat farms and produce in our area. I ran across a blog about 10 Ways to Go Sustainable in ‘10 and I was pleased to see that I am well on my way to accomplishing my second NY’s resolution.
- Visit the farmers market. Venture out once a week or even once a month. The vendors are friendly, the food picturesque and the economy local. Find the options near you on Local Harvest.
I definitely already do this quite a bit. We even found a year-round Farmer’s Market only minutes from our house.
- Join a CSA. You pay up front and then a box of veggies arrives regularly all summer as if by magic. Just be aware that you’ll probably have more leafy greens that you can shake a stick at.
We already have our CSA picked out for this summer.
- Start a garden. Here’s the pinnacle of eating local. This clearly isn’t an option for everyone, but with urban farming growing in popularity, you can probably find some place near you to hoe your row.
We have a small yard but Kurt has already picked a small section for me to call my own and I have plenty of gnomes to help!
- Learn to can. Now that you’ve grown more tomatoes than you can possibly eat or bought a whole flat of summer strawberries on a whim, storing them properly for the winter is a great way to keep your local eating going long past harvest season. If canning is too daunting, try freezing your bounty or making jam.
I thought this was one I would probably pass on but recently found out a friend’s mother cans and has been wanting to teach her for years now. When her mom comes to visit she has offered invite me along for some lessons so maybe I will be canning by 2011.
- Eat less meat. Nothing says high-impact like a big, old steak, so if you want to step less heavily on the planet, dial down your inner carnivore. Use meat as a side or a topping and concentrate on animals less intensive to produce. Goose, I’ve been told, is the most efficient meat-producer.
Not gonna happen! I love meat but I do buy almost all of our family’s meat from a local farm (Hickory Acres) in Oberlin, Ohio that is all grass-fed and natural.
- Do a meat-share with friends. Buying direct from the farmer can be a great option if you have friends to split the purchase with. You either need a lot of friends or a big freezer. Of course in life it never hurts to have both.
Again we do buy direct from the farmer but don’t really have friends that would buy in bulk with us.
- Seek out seasonal recipes. Avoid asparagus in September and broccoli in May. Check out what’s in season near you on Epicurious’ seasonal ingredient map.
I do this every week when menu planning before I hit up the market.
- Buy frozen fish. One of the lowest-impact ways to eat fish caught far away is to buy it frozen. If you happen to live next to the ocean and can access its bounty directly, forget this advice. But if you’re in Maryland purchasing Alaskan salmon, think about the freezer aisle.
We don’t live near the ocean but there is a huge lake! We haven’t eaten as much seafood lately because I just wasn’t sure what to buy. I do plan on taking a sustainable seafood class later this year.
- Text FishPhone. Blue Ocean Institute’s FishPhone service will tell you whether the fish you’re thinking of buying is a sustainable pick. Text the word FISH and the name of the fish you want to buy to the number 30644, and you’ll get back a message giving you thumbs-up or -down.
Interesting…I have unlimited text messaging so I would give this a try.
- Forage. Food is growing all around us. If only we had eyes to see it. Pick fruit from trees overhanging public spaces, seek mushrooms and other edible plants in local woods (only if you know how to avoid poisoning yourself) or, if you’re brave, try dumpster diving, also known as “urban foraging.”
Uhm..to each their own but I don’t think this one is for me. I don’t even like when people pick through my trash let alone me going through other people’s garbage!
Whatever your New Year’s resolution is for 2010 Good Luck with it and Happy New Year!
